


Among the Stars

by lonely_beez



Category: Avatar (2009)
Genre: Banshees, Coming of Age, Eastern Sea Clan, F/F, F/M, Ikrans, Major Original Character(s), Na'vi Tribes, Omaticaya Clan - Freeform, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Toruk Makto, unnamed character - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-09-22 18:20:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17064767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lonely_beez/pseuds/lonely_beez
Summary: Aytanhyä is eager to be the next Olo'eyktan of the Ikran People of the Eastern Sea but there is so much of her past that needs unraveling and still so much of her future ahead...





	1. Looking Upwards Instead of Ahead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Prologue, from Aytanhyä's perspective.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is not as many Avatar fics out there as I thought there would be? So I decided to write my own. 
> 
> There will be a translation at the end of all the Na'vi words.

I never knew my father, my mother never talked about him. The only thing I ever learned was that he came from the stars, and my mother claimed that he blessed her with me, which is why I am named Aytanhyä, my stars. I knew that my name also came from my many many freckles, those were my stars.  
  
Despite my father's disappearance I never felt truly lacking. The clan was my family, and I was raised well. Though I was often curious about him, I didn't really need a father figure. Our Olo'eyktan, though now very aged, was a fearsome warrior who fought alongside Toruk Makto. One of the few tuté Olo'eyktan in our history, I was determined to be like her. I had a strong desire to lead and a sharp mind. I knew I could do it, but would others ever respect me?  
  
My mother was Tsahik before she had me, why she was no longer Tsahik I never really understood but she was still a very spiritual woman. She placed all her faith in Eywá. She listened with her heart and told me to always do the same, she taught me everything I knew about the sea and our home, but she was not wild like me. She wished that I would someday follow her as a Tsahik, but it was not in me. Me, I was born to fly.  
  
I'd been with the Ikran my whole life. Since I was small I was fascinated with them. When a new flock was born one season, one of the small Ikran was abandoned and left in the rookery. I took it in and cared for it despite the protests of the clan and my mother. They told me I should kill it, send it's soul back to Eywá, but I couldn't. I felt connected to it. I was also small and odd and often felt alone, I could not leave it there and I hadn't the heart to kill it.  
  
Txampay, I named him, after the ocean. He was the color of bright coral and the blue sky and from the moment I saw him he reminded me of swimming along the bright reefs by our home. He was small at first but he grew and I grew with him. We were still the smallest compared to others in the clan but we were perfectly matched. When it came time for the young hunters to become taronyu I didn't have to go with the others. Txampay and I had bonded when he was an adolescent. We were made for each other.  
  
Though small, we were fast, faster than any of the other hunters. I was teased as a child for my pale skin and extra fingers. Unlike my peers, I had ten fingers and toes much to my own chagrin. There was no advantage to it, it was simply a tool for the other children to use against me along with my smaller stature and odly pale skin. My mother said that my father had pale skin and ten fingers and ten toes, but I didn't care, all I cared about was how I was being treated now. But now my palor and my extra appendages made no difference because I was faster than them all. I got all the best kills and was able to do the best stunts. I could fly laps around my fellow taronyu and laugh the whole way.  
  
I was also allowed to fly alone unlike the others. I had so much experience with the Ikran that our leaders trusted me to be alone and still be safe. I would fly at night and try to reach up and touch the stars that were my namesake. I would think about my father, where he came from and where he went. I thought of him more out of curiosity than of sadness. I'd ponder the time of great sorrow and Toruk Makto. I often wondered if he knew my father, I was told stories of how Toruk Makto had been a Dreamwalker, one of the Sky People. I often felt connected to the stars and a space away from home. My mother said it was because I was too ambitious, but I always wondered if it was because part of my soul was from somewhere else and if I was just simply looking for it.  
  
I was on a night flight when it happened. A dark shadow covered the stars and I could feel the beating of powerful wings above me. Any reasonable Na'vi would have dived away from the shadow, but instead I charged it. I flew right around the Toruk until I was hovering just above its back, much to the surprise of Toruk. I sat there on Txampay, who I could tell through tsahylu was not happy with this situation but trusted me anyway, and stared down at the back of this mighty creature in shock. Before I could think to move again the Toruk turned and faced me. It did not attack, it simply hovered there and looked into my eyes. I could feel it searching my soul with its eyes. It must have found what it was looking for because eventually it turned and flew away.  
  
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and landed with Txampay who trembled beneath me.

"Tam tam Txampay, mawey. We are safe now, let us go home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Na'vi translations:
> 
> Tuté - female
> 
> Olo'eyktan - clan leader
> 
> Tsahik - clan spiritual leader
> 
> Toruk Makto - Rider of Last Shadow (the Great Leonoprix)
> 
> Tam tam - hush hush
> 
> Mawey - Calm


	2. From Above

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aytanhyä follows an Atokirina.

In front of her there was a boy, running for his life. He was being chased by Toruk, but despite the chase kept looking behind him, as if there was someone running along behind him who was more important than himself. Aytanhyä wanted to shout at him! Tell him to turn and face the Toruk, that it would not hurt him, but she knew he couldn't hear her and she couldn't speak.  
  
She woke in a cold sweat with an Atokirina balanced lightly on her hand. Her hammock was high in the hut, near the skylight and far from any others. She expected the Atokirina to float up out of the skylight and away now that she had woken but instead it floated down along her path out of bed and to the exit of the hut. She may not be a Tsahik, but she knew the seeds of the sacred tree were powerful omens and told the will of Eywá. She knew better than to ignore them.  
  
While following the seed she slipped past her mother and the rest of the clan eating their morning meal, she felt her stomach growl but ignored it and kept pace with the little seed. She passed the Ikran nests and saw Txampay look at her curiously and cock his head to the side deciding whether or not to follow her. In the end he decided that bed was much more enjoyable and let Aytanhyä follow the seed on her own.  
  
She followed it all the way into the forest, she felt like she had walked forever and ever. She had never been so deep in the forest alone, or in this part of it. Nothing was familiar to her here, the ground felt strange and the trees around her were silent, too silent. It was as if all the animals were gone.  
  
It was like this for a while until suddenly, there were no more trees and there was no more grass and instead there was a vast hollow I'm the ground with a monsterous metal machine in the center of it. The sun reflected painfully off of the machinery and the dirt blew about in the air which felt ten times dryer in this pit than she was used to. It was hard to breath here, it was almost as if she could hear the forest crying out in pain. The ground was barren and cracked. The stumps of trees were mutilated and burned. As she walked around the gaping hole she found the body an Angtsìk rotting on the ground, when she got closer she noticed a small incredibly malnourished pack of nantang clawing at its carcass. Her presence frightened them off but as she looked closer at the angtsìk she noticed the holes that were blown through is body, and the wounds that killed it which were certainly not Na'vi and not the will of Eywá.  
  
She sat down on the ground and cried. Aytanhyä cried for her forest, for Eywá and for this angtsìk. She prayed too, for the first time in her life she prayed with conviction. She prayed to Eywá for the trees and the animals and the rebirth of this land.  
  
She was so enraptured with her prayer that she did not notice that barely behind the treeline at the edge of the forest stood a boy maybe a few years older than her but not much more. He had ten fingers and ten ties, a solemn look on his face and a necklace with a brightly colored carving of a Toruk as its center. And floating right in between the two of them were two atokirina.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Na'vi translation:
> 
> Atokirina - tree sprite
> 
> Angtsìk - hammerhead titanothere
> 
> Nantang - viper wolves


	3. Like Me...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aytanhyä meets someone new...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything in italics is supposed to be said in Na'vi but is written in English because I'm lazy and don't want to translate entire conversations.

"Kaltxì," The boy said stepping out of the trees. Aytanhyä jumped up from her sitting position whipped the tears from her cheeks and stood alert. What he did next surprised Aytanhyä, he spoke in ‘Ìnglìsì which Aytanhyä had never heard before from someone her own age. Her mother had spoke to her in ‘Ìnglìsì as a child but no one else in her clan spoke it. They were never involved much with humans other than during the time of great sorrow and they certainly had no need to speak with them then.   
  
"Who are you? Where are you from? How, did you get here and why are you crying?" he said. He looked rather confused by this whole situation. His gaze was sharp. He waited for Aytanhyä to respond but she did not know how to answer so many questions in a language that she did not speak. The boy looked impatient with her and began to draw his knife, she hissed and stepped back ready for fight if she had to. Then he asked again in Na'vi, _"What are you called?_ "  
  
_"My name is Aytanhyä, I was led here by the will of Eywá. Who are you?"_  
  
_"My name is Neteyam, of the Omaticaya. Why do you cry?"_  
  
_"I cry for the forest and the animals who are without homes. I am angry."_  
  
_"No point in being angry now, the Sky People are gone, and they left behind their troubles for us. Why dwell on the past?"_  
  
_"Because the past shows us our path to the future and it is out greatest teacher."_  
  
_"You sound like my father, he would say something like that and then tell me to trust in Eywá."_  
  
_"I do not rest all my faith in Eywá. She may be our great mother but I am my own self. I have faith, do not misunderstand me, but I do not live my life solely to serve her. I also have faith in myself."_  
  
_"That is a bold statement for someone like you."_  
  
She snarled,  _"What do you mean someone like me?"_  
  
Neteyam points to her bare feet and her hand clenched around the hilt of her knife.  _"You aren't like others, you're half dreamwalker."_  
  
_"How dare you assume something like that about me!? You know nothing of my past or my heritage!"_  And she lunges at him, but he's faster than her and nocks her off balance and before she can recover he has her leaning off the edge of the ravine holding on only by her waistband.  
  
_"I did not mean it as an offense. I am half dreamwalker as well. You're still small, my sisters are small, they have yet to finish growing. You won't be small forever though..."_  he trailed off as he pulled her back onto stable ground and brushed her off in a friendly manner then began to walk away towards the forest.  
  
_"Where are you going?"_  Aytanhyä called.  
  
_"Home, everyone will be missing me soon."_  And he walked into the trees.  
  
Aytanhyä made the silent decision to follow him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Na'vi Translation:
> 
> Kaltxì - hello
> 
> ‘Ìnglìsì - English
> 
> Also I should mention that Aytanhyä is pronounced: EYE - taan - yeAh


	4. Climbing Higher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aytanhyä is introduced to the Omaticaya clan leaders and discovers the beauty of the Kelutral.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> None of this fic is beta'd so I apologize for any spelling, grammatical or formatting errors it may have. As always translations at the end.

Was following him creepy? Sort of. Was she going to stop? Nope. He had some answers to questions she hadn’t even thought to ask about her own heritage. She wasn’t being super stealthy so it wasn’t _that_ creepy. He knew that she was following him but he didn’t acknowledge her until they were in site of a very large Kelutral that must have been his home.

 _“I’m going in, you can follow me if you want.”_ He said without turning around and walked straight forward in between one of the huge columns. Aytanhyä leapt down from the branch she was walking on and jogged up to stand right behind him. Her jaw hit the floor as they entered the massive tree.

Living in huts her whole life she had never been in a Kelutral she had only heard about them. There were so many levels! On the ground level before the base of the spiral was a massive woven totem of Toruk and behind it was tapestry depicting the time of great sorrow. In the center of the tapestry was the tree of souls with its branches stretching out gently touching all the other aspects of the tapestry. At the bottom were the crushed remains of human machinery and buildings. It was one of the most beautiful things Aytanhyä had ever seen. Neteyam noticed her staring and came to stand behind her.

 _“My Sa’nok made that, she is Tsahik and a very skilled weaver.”_ He said.

 _“It is beautiful. I can feel the spirit of Eywa in the threads.”_ She said, still in awe. He took her hand and led her up the spiral in the center of the Kelutral. On the second level there was a fire pit where some of the people were cooking and preparing for the evening meal. Next was where women were weaving baskets and making cloth. The further up they went the more personal and domestic the living environments became until they reached near the top. Off to the side was a small personal living space with a place to pray, including a small fire pit and a water dish. There was a large hammock, and several smaller hammocks clearly meant for children who were too old to stay with their parents but too young to be on their own. There was a place holding some odd things that Aytanhyä had never seen before. They were made of metal and wires and looked out of place here in the Kelutral. They looked more like they belonged with the machinery she has seen back in that pit.

 _“This is my home. My family lives up here. Se’nu will be back shortly, she will know why the Atokirina brought us to the mine.”_ He said and then climbed into one of the hammocks. Aytanhyä stood for a while then eventually sat down on the ground gently to wait for Neteyam’s sa’nok.

              It felt like ages that she was sitting there when finally up the spiral came one of the most beautiful women Aytanhyä had ever seen. She was aged, but she aged so beautifully. She had a round face with beautiful wise golden eyes. Her freckles were scattered and glowed faintly in the dim evening light. The stripes on her face were thin and delicate. Her hair was done in long braids with beads on the ends and she wore the garb of a Tsahik. Behind her came what must have been Neteyam’s father and her mate. He was obviously the Olo’eyktan judging by his dress and the ceremonial bow he carried on his back. Aytanhyä jumped to her feet and bowed her head in respect. She was not from this tribe and had no right to speak in front of its leaders without first being spoken to.

“Oel ngati kameie, sempu, se’nu.” Neteyam said touching two fingers to his forehead and gesturing outwards towards his parents.

“Oel ngati kameie Neteyam who is this?” The Tsahik asked.

“This is Aytanhyä, we were brought together by the will of Eywa. An atokirina led me to the mine and I found her praying in front of a dead ‎Angtsìk. I was of the hope that you might derive some meaning from our meeting.” He said looking hopefully up at his mother.

 _“Oel ngati kameie Aytanhyä, please, stay with us tonight so that I might learn more about you and this encounter and further understand the will of Eywa. You may call me Neytiri and the Olo’eyktan is Jake, Toruk Makto.”_ The Tsahik said, gesturing behind her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Na'vi translations:
> 
> Kelutral - a hometree
> 
> Sa'nok - mother (formal)
> 
> Se'ni - mom (informal)
> 
> Oel ngati kameie - I See you
> 
> Sempu - father
> 
>  
> 
> Also, we finally are getting to the fun part of this story where the actual canon characters show up. Has anyone guessed who Aytanhyä's father is? It's highkey obvious. I promise that the relationship between Neteyam and Aytanhyä develops more. I'm still kind of growing into both of them as characters and learning about how to talk through them so bear with me. It should be easier now that they can bounce off of each other more. Neteyam is a bit tpo serious for Aytanhyä's taste and she's a bit to emotional for his so it'll be interesting to see how this goes...


	5. Reflected in Flames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aytanhyä begins to understand her origins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Na'vi Translation at the end.

_“You didn’t tell me that your sempu was Toruk Makto!”_ Aytanhyä said.

 _“I didn’t think it was important.”_ Neteyam said and shrugged.

_“How could you not think it was important?”_

_“I don’t know? I guess I don’t think of him like that. He is just sempu to me.”_

Aytanhyä huffed and crossed her arms but followed him through the twists and turns of the tree to dinner.

 

The meal was similar to her meals at home except instead of fish they ate yerik. She was sat next to the Tsahik who asked her questions about her life and home. Aytanhyä was still shocked by Neytiri’s beauty and general grace. Aytanhyä was known to be somewhat clutzy and although she was a skilled hunter outside of flight she was about as graceful as a dead frog. Neytiri moved with grace even when she spoke and Aytanhyä would find herself forgetting the question she was being asked.

 _“Do you have any tsmuk?”_ Neytiri asked again.

_“No, my sa’nok never mated again after my sempu left and he left before I was born. She never said why.”_

_“You don’t know who your sempu is?”_

_“No, and I’ve never really cared to until Neteyam brought up how we were similar. I am the only one of my tribe who has five fingers per appendage and he made me curious. Why does he have fingers like me?”_

_“Ah,”_ Neytiri said with a small smile _. “Ma Jake, come here.”_ She called him over from where he was talking with some of the other warriors. _“Show Aytanhyä your hand.”_

He placed his hand in front of Aytanhyä so she could look at it. _“Lo’ak! Tuk! Come!”_ Neytiri called. Two more children came running up from where they were playing with others. Aytanhyä assumed that these were Neteyam’s brother and sister. The boy was a few years younger than her, but the girl couldn’t be much more than eight.

 _“Toruk Makto, you have hands like mine.”_ Aytanhyä said barely above a whisper.

 _“All of my family has five fingers,”_ Jake said taking his children’s hands and showing them to her.

_“Why?”_

_“It’s rather a long story…”_

 

                            _____________________________________________________

 

 _“I was first one of the Sky People, and came to Pandora as a dreamwalker. I learned the ways of The People and became one of the Omaticaya. When the sky people destroyed the Kelutral we were living in I became Toruk Makto to lead The People against the Sky People and protect the forest. My Na’vi body is part human; sky person. Sky People have five fingers as well as the fact that they are much smaller than Na’vi. My children were born with the extra fingers and remained rather small until they grew older. I believe it has something to do with my relation to the sky people.”_ Jake said to Aytanhyä.

They were sitting in the Olo’eyktan’s home in front of his small fire pit. The younger two children were asleep and Neteyam was off on a night hunt. Neytiri sat beside Jake translating when he had trouble. Aytanhyä was amazed at his story. She peppered him with question about the dreamwalker body, many of which he couldn’t answer. She asked about the humans and how they came to Pandora. She had been born after the time of great sorrow and no one in her tribe was willing to talk about it.

 _“Do you understand now Aytanhyä?”_ Neytiri asked after Jake had put out the fire and gone to go to bed.

_“I know why I am the way I am, my father was a dreamwalker but I still don’t understand why the Atokirina brought us to the mine, why not just guide us together? What is the meaning of leading us there?”_

_“Eywa has reasons for all the things she does. Though you may not know now you will. You may stay with us until you have figured it out if you like. I must rest now, may we meet again soon.”_

 

                            ______________________________________________________

 

              Aytanhyä waited for Neteyam to return from his hunt before she allowed herself to sleep. The thought of her father bothered her, why wouldn’t her mother just tell her? Why was it a secret? The Sky People had gone, and the dreamwalkers were no longer their enemies, so why would her mother be ashamed of a partnership with one? That wasn’t the only thing that bothered her either, she knew that Eywa had lead her and Neteyam to the mine for a reason. Her heritage, while important to her was not important to the balance of nature, at least Aytanhyä didn’t think so.

 _“Waited up for me did you?”_ Neteyam said holding a yerik over his shoulders.

_“Not really, I had much to think about but I am curious, why do you think the atokirina led us to the mine?”_

_“I mean, my father always told me that it would be my responsibility to reclaim the lands that the Sky People destroyed in the name of the forest and I’ve often been drawn to those places. Maybe it has something to do with that?”_

_“Maybe… but why me?”_

_“You’re half dreamwalker like me and my siblings, but unlike us you have an entirely different upbringing. You are not the children of clan leaders, or the children of renowned heroes. You are from a different clan with almost no experience with the Sky People, maybe Eywa wants you to bring fresh light to the situation?”_

_“Maybe?”_

_“Regardless, you are important for something otherwise Eywa wouldn’t have brought you to us.”_ Aytanhyä nodded complacently, not being able to argue with that logic and followed him inside and curled up on the branch beneath his hammock before drifting off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Na'vi translation:
> 
> Sempu- father
> 
> Sa'nok - Mother
> 
> Tsmuk - siblings 
> 
>  
> 
> I hate this chapter but we are finally getting to where I want to be in this fic, past all the introductions and into the actual story, which took me ages to come up with which is part of why this seems rather scattered. It should only get better from here.


	6. Under a Shadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Six years later, a great deal has changed...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are finally into the best part of the story...

**6 years later**

Aytanhyä had grown into a fine young woman. She rarely lived at home anymore, she occasionally visited her mother but she felt so much more at home amongst the Omaticaya people, mostly Neteyam and his siblings. She loved Tuk like a little sister and Lo’ak was just as annoying and troublesome as she imagined having a little brother would be. She was the only one of them with an ikran so they looked up to her to some extent. Jake was more of a father to her than anyone of the men in her own tribe and Neytiri seemed to care about her as if she was one of her own children.

She lived in the Kelutral next to Neteyam in her own hammock now. They did most everything together simply because they could. They were equals in many ways but as Neteyam grew he became more spiritual than Aytanhyä had ever expected. He was so utterly apart of the forest and sometimes she swore she could feel the spirit of Eywa in his gaze. She could never understand that about him but he could never understand her fascination with flying and so in that way they were even. Jake had expected Neteyam to be the next Olo’eyktan but Aytanhyä knew that he didn’t have it in him. He was too kind in his soul. He could never stand firm against the requests of others. He would be taken advantage of and would ultimately make a much better Tsahik than Olo’eyktan.

Aytanhyä was one of the best hunters in the clan and it was true, she had grown as had Txampay. She was no longer small and awkward but fierce and beautiful. Had she truly been a child of Jake and Neyriti she might have been considered for the role of Olo’eyktan but with Lo’ak and Tuk as well as the fact that she was born of another clan she had no hope. She was a skilled weaver and a skilled totem maker. That was how she and Neteyam spent a lot of their free time together. He would carve beads and charms while she would weave totems or make clothing. Almost all of her adornment was carved by Neteyam and almost all his clothes were made by her. They balanced each other rather well. Everyone in the clan had teased them about their duplicity when they were children but now it was more out of fondness and pride than anything else.

They grew together, hunted together and learned together. Now, after they passed their dreamhunt and Neteyam became a taronyu, they would be fully fledged members of the clan. Today it was finally time for Neteyam to become a taronyu and chose his own ikran along with his peers. Aytanhyä was considered to be one of them despite already having tsahaylu with Txampay and while not required, was encouraged to climb up the thundering mountains with them for moral support. Although she did not need to, she chose to go along anyway, she loved visiting ikran rookeries. They were one of the few things she missed about her home. She also wanted to be there to support Neteyam and make sure he didn’t fall off the mountain.

When they finally reached the top Neteyam’s friends all went before him. They moved quickly and soon all three of them were done.

 _“Neteyam, you must go. It will be okay, flight is amazing and you will finally be able to join me on hunts.”_ Aytanhyä said and pushed him forward teasingly. _“I will be right here, we can fly together once you are done.”_

Neteyam crept out into the rookery. He taunted one or two ikrans before a beautiful forest green ikran with purple and navy markings hissed at him. He snapped his bola around its strong jaw, jumped on its back and within an instant made tsahaylu. The ikran immediately calmed and waiting for his command. Aytanhyä called Txampay and leaped onto his back diving off the edge of the mountain.

 _“Come on Neteyam! Fly!”_ She called after him. They flew until their ikrans needed to rest, it was night now and tomorrow they would both go on their dreamhunt before being reborn as members of the Omaticaya.

 _“Do you love it?”_ Aytanhyä asked.

 _“I am not sure that I love it as much as you do, although I don’t know if anyone can. I think if you hadn’t been born Na’vi you would be an ikran. I don’t think you could exist outside of the sky.”_ Neteyam said laughing.

_“You are probably right. The sky is where I belong. I have always felt like that. The stars have always called to me.”_

_“Is that why your name is Aytanhyä?”_

_“Odly enough no, my mother named me because of all my tanhi. She said I shone more than stars in the sky when I was born I had so many freckles.”_

_“I have always thought they were what made you so different from everyone else.”_

_“Not my extra fingers?”_ She said waving her hand tauntingly at him.

 _“Well, you know that is totally normal to me,”_ he said pushing her. Soon it turned into a wrestling match in which Aytanhyä ended up on top pinning him. They were both in fits of laughter and without thinking about it, she kissed him. When she realized what she had done she stood up quickly.

 _“We should go, your parents will be worried_.” And she walked towards Txampay and prepared to mount but before she could get further and before Neteyam could say anything a shadow covered the giant loom of Polyphemus and the sky grew dark. In front of them landed the Toruk with a roar.

              They were both to shocked to move for a moment until Neteyam jumped on the back of his ikran and started shouting, _“Aytanhyä come on! We’re going to die! We need to get out of here!”_ But she couldn’t listen, the Toruk was looking right at her, she could feel it wanted her to do something. So she stepped forward. What happened next was a blur.

              The Toruk hissed at her and instead of backing up like a reasonable person would she lunged forward, and it hissed again but it didn’t attack her. She made a split-second decision and leapt with all her might trying to get onto its back. She made it and the Toruk reared its head angrily but it couldn’t turn and reach her now. She held on for life as it thrashed its neck around and then knowing that the only way she was going to get out of this alive was if she made tsahaylu with it. She grabbed her queue and connected it to the mighty creature and in a moment, she felt it. It was like how she felt when connected to Txampay but a thousand times stronger. She had no sway over this powerful creature she knew, it was here for her and it would only follow her because it wished to do so. It saw her as an equal and that is how it would treat her. She felt its soul in her mind and its strength in her limbs and she knew that on the back of this magnificent creature she could do anything.

“ _Toruk, my shadow, fly with me,”_ she whispered to herself and the toruk. It dived off the mountain and she heard Neteyam scream and the screech of Txampay behind her but she couldn’t bring herself to care. The dive was incredible and when Toruk stretched out her broad wings to glide Aytanhyä felt the wind give into the creature’s incredible strength and despite its great size it flew with such speed and grace she had never felt before. After a few minutes she landed back on the mountain, amazed and breathless.

              Neteyam stood with his mouth agape as she dismounted. Txampay mainly looked offended. As her feet hit the ground again she pressed her head to Toruk’s and disconnected tsahaylu. Neteyam rushed up to her and crushed her face against his kissing her like he never would again. When he pulled away there were tears on his cheeks, _“I thought you were dead for sure when you went of the edge. Don’t ever, do that again.”_

“Heh,” She laughed and looked at the ground. Then Neteyam’s eyes grew wide.

 _“You… just, rode, Toruk!”_ He said in shock. _“Do you know what this means? I mean? I didn’t even know this could happen? What does it mean? I don’t even know how…”_ He started frantically overthinking things the words running out of his mouth in uncoordinated phrases. Aytanhyä hadn’t even thought about it, the flight had just felt right.

 _“We have to go home and tell my sa’sem, they need to know_.” Neteyam said dragging Aytanhyä towards their ikran.

_“Wait, no.”_

_“What do you mean no? This is huge, they have to know.”_

_“Not yet please. Let’s just wait till after the ceremony. This could have been a big fluke anyways. I already have Txampay and I don’t want this to delay our dreamhunt.”_

_“Are you serious?”_

_“Promise me. Please Neteyam, just two days.”_

_“Okay, I know this isn’t a fluke, but I’ll wait. We should still go home, like you said people will begin to worry.”_

Aytanhyä climbed onto Txampay and felt some frustration in their bond. _I am sorry,_ she thought _, I just felt like I needed to do it_. Eywa help me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Na'vi Translation:
> 
> Tsahaylu - the bond
> 
> Taronyu - hunter 
> 
> Tanhi - stars, or bioluminescent freckles 
> 
> Toruk - last shadow
> 
> Sa'sem - parents
> 
>  
> 
> I actually like this chapter because I feel like its finally getting into the place in the story where I want it to be.


End file.
